FIDA urge Rivers govt, others to establish Welfare Enhancement Law for persons with disabilities

Tina Amanda

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Rivers State, has appealed to the public and private sector to domesticate the State Persons with disabilities welfare enhancement Law, number 11, 2012.

The welfare enhancement Law provides job opportunities for the disabled in the state.

Chairperson FIDA Rivers, Adata Bio-Briggs, who stated this in an interview with our correspondent while carrying out a sensitization campaign at Cheshire Home of the disabled, Borokiri Port Harcourt, stressed the need for a better welfare provision for the physically challenged in the state.

According to her, most of the disabled people in Cheshire Home are well educated, but no job provision for them to take care of themselves, noting that they are turned down on job openings.

“Interfacing with them today we found out that most of them are educated but do not have jobs and we all know there is a Law that provides they should have priority for employment. The physically challenged should not be discriminated at, because they are not mobile does not mean they can not be employed.

“There is a need for them to have jobs according to the law, this Law has been in existence for some time now. We also found out that their challenge is about the non-provision of ramps in public places, if we go deep into the Law you will see that private and public places must have ramps to enable the disabled have free access.

“For programs organised by the general public should have interpreters for people with hearing impairment. We call on the government, corporate organizations, and the public to do all they can to ensure that this is implemented, and everywhere is made friendly for the physically challenged.

“The disabled have equal rights as you and I, government needs to give a certain quota to them while creating jobs. They have dignity as well as the right to personal liberty”.

On her part, the Matron of Cheshire Home Borokiri, Port Harcourt, Blessing Iheanacho, explained that most disabled students are faced with the challenge of climbing staircases for the lack of ramps provisions in their schools while calling on the government, corporate organizations, NGO’s to ensure the environment is made friendly for them.

“The main challenge is in their education the school they attend do not have ramps, when they are pressed they can not make use of the toilets on their own because of no ramps to give them easy access and they end up messing themselves up before getting an assist. I am appealing to the government to do something about”.

She however explained that without one having the heart of love it will be very difficult to take care of the disabled.

“It has not been easy handling them, it takes the heart of care, and when one has the passion for helping out the physically challenged only then you can be able to manage a home effectively. I also want to thank the various bodies, such as NGO, Churches, individuals and the Cheshire management God have used to sustain the home.”